Flights BRU/ZRH and return

[sn26567]

I just booked flight from BRU to ZRH and return. The choice of an airline is not difficult: there is only one airline flying the route: the new Swiss European Airlines (with its exclusively Avro fleet), which codeshares with SN Brussels Airlines.

The funny (!) thing is that for the same flights LX quotes EUR 544, whereas SN asks for a whopping EUR 722. Guess which one I chose. And you can get SN FF miles on both fares.

[BrightCedars]

Are you flying mid-week or business class? Otherwise I'd advice you to either buy an LX ticket that goes beyond ZRH and may turn out cheaper (you'll be no show for the segments beyond ZRH, which is fine as long as you confirm you'll be on your return ZRH-BRU). Another way to fly cheaper is to combine two over-the-weekend ZRH-BRU tickets crossing each other and being no show for the first ZRH-BRU and the last BRU-ZRH. Here again no problem as long as you confirm you presence on the return flight from BRU to ZRH.

[luchtzak]

Are you flying mid-week or business class? Otherwise I'd advice you to either buy an LX ticket that goes beyond ZRH and may turn out cheaper (you'll be no show for the segments beyond ZRH, which is fine as long as you confirm you'll be on your return ZRH-BRU). Another way to fly cheaper is to combine two over-the-weekend ZRH-BRU tickets crossing each other and being no show for the first ZRH-BRU and the last BRU-ZRH. Here again no problem as long as you confirm you presence on the return flight from BRU to ZRH.

Those are exactly the tricks that airlines don't like to be mentioned

[teddybAIR]

Indeed luchtzak,

that is exactly why other passengers are confronted with the very nice principle of overbooking. I always make sure I'm in time for my flight, cause I know what happens to the last honnest client in the line: he gets a big smile and an excuse and off course he blames the airline...this clearly shows that it's not always the airline that's to blame

[Stij]

And all those tricks are the answer of the passengers that are fed up with exactly those yield "get the money out of those that really have to fly" management principles.

LCC don't have this problem (As far as I know): the flight becomes more expensive as the flight fills up. But wether you buy a one way or a return: there's no difference.

Charge a normal rate for the flight and no one will use the tricks.

Cheers,

Stij (flying low cost, if not available staying a saturday night, if not possible, using miles, if none available, paying and not feeling well)

[sn26567]

Are you flying mid-week or business class?

Mid-week, one night away, economy!

Yes, indeed, ZRH is scandalously expensive. The two LCCs that tried BRU-ZRH (Virgin Express in 2001 and Helvetic in 2004) had to withdraw after a few weeks.

I do not buy my (company) tickets myself, and I guess companies do not want to seem cheating the system. Expedia nevertheless offered me a one-way + a return ticket for BRU-GVA-BRU the week before (on SN), thus entitling me to go back to Geneva after my trip.